The Indian Army on Saturday dismissed social media claims that Chinese forces had defeated Indian troops, advanced nearly 50 km into Arunachal Pradesh and taken control of Indian territory, describing them as false and part of a coordinated disinformation campaign.
The Army's official fact-checking account on X said several suspected Pakistan-sponsored social media handles were circulating exaggerated and unsubstantiated claims to create a misleading narrative against the Indian military.
Under the heading “Coordinated Inauthentic Behaviour Exposed”, the Army identified six X accounts that had circulated similar content between 3.06 pm on November 6 and 1.46 am on November 7. The handles were @SongWeilonzob1, @letmehandleyou1, @_Finding_sarah, @DarkReal09, @War_Updates5 and @sumit_sarkr.
“Several suspected Pak-sponsored social media accounts are circulating misleading claims that Chinese forces have severely defeated Indian troops, advanced nearly 50 km into Arunachal Pradesh and established PLA control over Indian territory,” the Army said.
“These false claims are being amplified in a coordinated manner to promote a misleading anti-Indian Army narrative,” it added.
The Army also shared a graphic showing screenshots of posts from the six accounts, highlighting the similar language and visuals used to circulate the claims. It tagged the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and urged people to verify information about the border through credible and official sources before sharing it.
The Army described the pattern as a combination of fabricated claims of military defeat, exaggerated reports of territorial incursions and unsubstantiated assertions of Chinese control over Indian territory.
Earlier misinformation over Arunachal face-offs
The latest clarification comes amid reports of tensions between Indian and Chinese troops in Arunachal Pradesh, particularly around Taksing in the state's remote Upper Subansiri district.
The Indian Army and the People's Liberation Army (PLA) reportedly had face-offs in the area in July and August. The developments drew further attention last month after Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) Director General Shatrujeet Kapur spoke about an ongoing face-off at multiple locations in the state.
Addressing troops at a felicitation ceremony in Rajasthan's Alwar on Thursday, Kapur purportedly said: “In recent days, there was a situation in Arunachal Pradesh where there was a face-off at different locations, which is still continuing. There our Shaurya commando teams did really exceedingly well.”
A video clip of his remarks circulated widely online, prompting questions from the Opposition.
The Army's latest fact-check follows several other instances in which old, unrelated or manipulated footage was presented on social media as evidence of Chinese advances or Indian military setbacks. These included a counter-terrorism mock drill in Devanahalli, Karnataka, portrayed as Chinese troops frisking Indian personnel, and footage of a Kazakhstan special forces exercise circulated as a clash between Indian and Chinese soldiers near Taksing.
The Army also flagged a digitally altered video that falsely attributed claims about Chinese control of parts of Arunachal Pradesh to Lieutenant General Girish Kalia. In another instance, Chinese commercial vehicles at the authorised trade point near Nathu La in Sikkim were portrayed as an unauthorised incursion. Videos of protests against the proposed Siang dam project in Arunachal Pradesh were also circulated with captions suggesting an anti-Army uprising.
In August, the Congress unit in Arunachal Pradesh had alleged that Chinese forces had advanced 40-50 km into Upper Subansiri district. Chief Minister Pema Khandu, however, said he did not believe an incursion was taking place. The Army had also rejected claims of an expanded PLA presence near Taksing as baseless.
MEA says border situation can be disturbed by changes in patrolling patterns
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had earlier said that the situation along the India-China border gets disturbed from time to time when Chinese forces diverge from established patrolling patterns.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said both countries continued to use existing diplomatic and military mechanisms to resolve outstanding issues and prevent misunderstandings or miscalculations along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
“Both sides continue to use existing diplomatic and military mechanisms to resolve outstanding issues and avoid misunderstanding and miscalculation along the Line of Actual Control. The two sides have also agreed to discuss ways to improve understanding of LAC in appropriate areas for better border management,” Jaiswal had said.
India and China continue efforts to stabilise ties
The reported face-offs in Arunachal Pradesh came ahead of renewed military-level engagement between India and China. The two countries held the first round of talks between military commanders in the eastern sector in Arunachal Pradesh on September 6 and 7, shortly before Chinese President Xi Jinping visited India after seven years to attend the BRICS Summit on September 12 and 13.
The latest developments also come against the backdrop of the prolonged military standoff between the two countries in the western sector, which began in April-May 2020 and continued for more than four years. The confrontation pushed bilateral relations to their lowest point in six decades.
In October 2024, India and China reached an understanding to end the standoff, following which both sides took several steps towards normalising relations and putting confidence-building measures in place along the LAC.
The Army's latest warning comes as authorities continue to flag misleading material about the border situation, urging the public not to circulate unverified claims that could create a false impression about developments along the frontier.